We covered a wide range of parenting topics over the course of an amazing and at-times-turbulent year. There was the 2012 presidential election with its barrage of politcal ads on TV and the radio, which presented the opportunity to teach our kids some media smarts, and served as a springboard for discussions about important political and social issues in our lives. And then there were the sad and shocking stories of teen suicides, shootings, and cyberbullying that continued to dominate popular media. Yes, life went on this year. Tragedies still happened. Life still happened. And when it did, we did what we know how to do best—we shared the best tips and strategies that we've learned to help families cope and bounce back from hard times.

It was an amazing year, indeed. But one of our biggest accomplishments this year came from our host organization, Search Institute. Our researchers (in the cube next-door) released the results of the groundbreaking Family Assets research study. The study focuses on families' strengths, hopes, and aspirations, and served as an important reminder that all families have strengths, and that all families need certain assets to be strong, even in challenging times. We were also reminded that everyone—child, teen, or parenting adult—plays a role in building these assets. This year, we used the Family Assets research study to help guide our work as we focused on sharing simple, everyday steps that all families can take to build healthy relationships and healthy family members, and we hope to continue this endeavor as we take a step forward into 2013.

So, as we step into this holiday season, and into 2013, we'd like to take a moment to pause and look back at some of the things we've learned this year. And in the spirit of looking back, we'll be sharing special holiday tips, webinar recaps, and more on the ParentFurther blog and on our Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest pages all month long. Be sure to stop back in for a visit before 2013! And if you'd like to leave us some feedback as we continue planning our future work, be sure to take our end-of-year survey. Best wishes for a warm holiday season—from our family to yours.